Bills targeting public workers have become so widespread, it may seem that the only relationship possible between governments and those they employ is an antagonistic one. That's hardly the case.

In Seattle, we care about our employees and they work hard for us. We aren’t going to let them be abused by a right-wing campaign that tries to devalue public service!

On Monday, March 7 the Seattle City Council unanimously approved Resolution 31271 supporting the right of public employees to collective bargaining (essentially, the right to join and be represented by labor unions). The resolution also declared March 8 as "Public Employee Appreciation Day" in Seattle.

The attack on public servants and their representatives is an assault on all of us who believe in a society that works for all.

In the resolution, we noted that labor unions and public employees in Seattle and around the country have stepped forward to voluntarily participate in wage and benefit reductions, furloughs, and other cost saving measures to preserve the jobs of their fellow employees. They also assist in managing the impacts of the recession on governmental budgets, and have developed creative ways to reduce costs.

All of those steps have been taken in Seattle, and we have built a great partnership with our labor unions and employees to deliver good services to the public at a reasonable cost. We continue to engage our unions and employees in working through issues, such as our current partnership effort to reinvent community center operations to be able to deliver more hours of service at a lower cost to the taxpayer.

The actions of the Wisconsin governor and his Republican allies in the state legislature have exacerbated the wrong-headed national backlash against labor unions. Wrong-headed because the labor movement created the middle class in America—the engine of our economy. Labor efforts brought us laws ensuring workplace safety, and living-wage jobs, and the weekend. The attack on public servants and their representatives is an assault on all of us who believe in a society that works for all. This resolution affirms our commitment to those values and our dedicated employees. The City of Seattle employs more than 10,000 public employees, many of whom are union members; we respect that collective bargaining is a human right.*

The Moral UndergroundAll around you are everyday heroes who refuse to be complicit in the economic mistreatment of other people.

The attacks on public employees are really attacks on public service. The fact is that government provides vital services—teachers, doctors, scientists, firefighters, police officers, nurses, laborers, social workers and countless other occupations. Many public employees have lost their jobs in this recession, just like those employed in the private sector.

Many Americans are suffering in this economic downturn, but public employees and labor unions are not the source of the problem and vilifying them will only lead to more economic instability. The far right wing's divide-and-conquer strategy of pitting public and private sector employees against each other is a distraction from what real economic recovery demands: to lift up those among us who are unemployed, lack health care, or are not part of sound pension systems. That's the American way, and we must all pull together to restore our economy and make it happen.

Notes:*The right to collectively bargain is recognized through international human rights conventions. Article 23 of the identifies the ability to organize trade unions as .
In June 2007 the Supreme Court of Canada (Facilities Subsector
Bargaining Association v. British Columbia) extensively reviewed the
rationale for regarding collective bargaining as a human right. Even
Ronald Reagan said, "where free unions and collective bargaining are
forbidden, freedom is lost." (Labor Day Speech at Liberty State Park,
1980)

Interested?

How Americans across professions, religions, and states are uniting in
opposition to Wisconsin's anti-union bill—and cultivating a movement
that reaches far beyond the state border.

It took a while, but protests in Wisconsin show that poor and middle
class Americans are ready to push back against the policies and cuts
that hurt them most. Madison may be only the beginning.

How the movement for workers' rights can harness the energy of the present moment.

Richard Conlin wrote this article for YES! Magazine,
a national, nonprofit media organization that fuses powerful ideas with
practical actions. Richard is president of the Seattle City Council and
a YES! Magazine board member.